The prior art has provided orthotic support constructions that are worn within the shoe in order to alleviate foot pain and to treat injuries, diseases, and congenital malformations of the foot. Such orthotic support constructions are generally formed by one or more podiatric appliances that are attached to a base plate. The base plate and the attached podiatric appliances generally serve as an insole with the podiatric appliances of such orthotic support constructions supporting selected regions of the foot by directly exerting pressure on the selected regions when the wearer applies weight against the podiatric appliances.
An example of an orthotic support construction, as described above, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,698, of which I am the inventor. In this patent a number of different podiatric appliances are provided that are independently attachable to an inner sole-like base plate fabricated of a stiffly flexible material. The appliances disclosed in the patent include, among others, an arch support to provide additional support to the arch of the foot, a metatarsal tear to rest the metatarsal bones, and a bunion support appliance. The assembled orthotic support construction may either be worn as an insole or may form a sandal-like orthopedic shoe.
Any of the prior art orthotic support constructions, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,698, when worn within the shoe over a long period of time, produce increased wear on the sole of the shoe and deform the shoe. Additionally, a malformed or injured foot may in itself deform the shoe to an extent that the orthotic support construction will not fit within the shoe in the first instance.